1. Field of Use
The present invention relates to the cooperative operation of different types of processors as a single system and, more particularly, to a means for adding graceful power failure degradation capability to a system comprised of different processors.
2. Prior Art
A recurring problem in present computer systems arises from the need to combine various types of processor units into a single system to allow the system of perform a wider range of operations than may be achieved through a system using a single type of processor or to increase the performance of the system by adding faster and more powerful processors or processors providing special capabilities.
This need may arise, for example, from a requirement to provide a system which is capable of operating with both the application programs and user data files created for an installed, proprietal system and the new "industry standard", or "open system", operating systems and application programs. Such hybrid systems are becoming more common as the need increases in the computer industry to provide systems which allow a user which has a very large installed proprietary system base to "migrate" over time to the presently proposed "open systems" which use "industry standard" hardware and one of the "industry standard" operating systems. An example of such would be the combination of one of the present "industry standard" processor units, such as an Intel.sup.1 80486.sup.2 microprocessor running the UNIX.sup.3 operating system and compatible applications programs, into a system based upon a proprietary operating system and hardware, such as the DPS 6000.sup.4 computer system available from Bull HN Information Systems Inc., which runs applications programs designed for the proprietary system.
It is also well know, and a major problem in communication between processors, that different types of processors frequently recognize and use different types, numbers and levels of interrupts, have different communications capabilities, and have different method for handling such operations as graceful shut-down upon power failure. In fact, some processors and operating systems, such as UNIX do not provide a dynamic power failure capability.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a solution to this and other related problems in providing a graceful power shut-down capability in a system comprised of different types of processors and operating systems wherein certain of the processors FNT .sup.1 Intel is a trademark of Intel Corporation. FNT .sup.2 i486 is a trademark of Intel Corporation. FNT .sup.3 UNIX is a trademark of UNIX System Laboratories Inc. FNT .sup.4 DPS and DPS6000 are trademarks of Bull HN Information Systems Inc. do not have an inherent dynamic power failure capability while other have such a capability.